Article of footwear with pivoting tongue and anchoring strap

ABSTRACT

An article of footwear has a footwear upper that includes a base layer defining a throat opening, a tongue having a forward end fixed to the base layer forward of the throat opening, and a strap having an anchored end fixed at the base layer and a securing end selectively securable at the base layer. The tongue is pivotable about the forward end between an access position and a use position, extends over and covers the throat opening in the use position, and rests against an exterior of the base layer at a medial side of the base layer and at a lateral side of the base layer in the use position. The strap crosses over an exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/168,910, filed Mar. 31, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to an article of footwear that has an upper with a pivoting tongue for easy entry and an anchoring strap that holds the tongue in place for use.

BACKGROUND

Footwear typically includes a sole configured to be located under a wearer's foot and an upper attached to the sole structure. The upper typically surrounds the sides and top of the foot. An upper may include a lacing system, a buckle, or other fastening system to tighten the upper around the foot. Donning the footwear often requires manipulating the upper to widen the ankle opening for foot entry, and then manipulating a lace or other fastening system to secure the upper around the foot. These steps may be difficult for some wearers, such as those with limited dexterity and young children.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only, are schematic in nature, and are intended to be exemplary rather than to limit the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a lateral side view of an article of footwear having an upper with a base layer, a tongue, a first strap, and a second strap, with the tongue shown in a use position and the straps shown crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 2 is a medial side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an outer side of the first strap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an outer side of the second strap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1 with the tongue of FIG. 1 removed.

FIG. 7 is a lateral side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1 with the straps removed and the tongue pivoted away from the use position to an open position.

FIG. 8 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the tongue taken at lines 8-8 in FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a partially exploded view of the tongue.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the partially assembled tongue.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the upper of FIG. 1 with the partially assembled tongue stitched at a front end to an outer layer of the base layer with a first series of stitches.

FIG. 12 is a perspective fragmentary view of the upper of FIG. 11 with a cover skin stitched over the first series of stitches with a second series of stitches.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the upper taken at lines 13-13 in FIG. 6 and showing a heel collar included in the upper.

FIG. 14 is plan view of a first embodiment of the first strap of FIG. 4.

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of the first strap of FIG. 14 taken at lines 15-15 in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a close-up fragmentary cross-sectional view of a free end of the first strap of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is plan view of a second embodiment of the first strap of FIG. 4.

FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view of the first strap of FIG. 17 taken at lines 18-18 in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a close-up fragmentary cross-sectional view of a free end of the first strap of FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a base layer, a tongue, a first strap, and a second strap, and showing the tongue in a partially open position and the first and second straps unsecured.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the article of footwear of FIG. 20 with the tongue in a use position and the first and second straps shown crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the article of footwear of FIG. 20 with the tongue in the use position and the first and second straps in secured positions.

FIG. 23 is a medial side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a tongue in a use position and first and second straps shown crossing over the tongue and secured at a base layer.

FIG. 24 is a medial side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a tongue in a use position and a single strap shown crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 25 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a base layer, a tongue, and a single strap, with the tongue shown in a use position and the strap shown crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 26 is a medial side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a top view of the article of footwear of FIG. 25.

FIG. 28 is a plan view of an outer side of the strap of FIG. 25.

FIG. 29 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the upper taken at lines 29-29 in FIG. 31.

FIG. 30 is a top view of the article of footwear of FIG. 25 with the tongue removed.

FIG. 31 is a lateral side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 25 with the single strap removed and the tongue pivoted away from the use position to an open position.

FIG. 32 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the tongue of FIG. 25 taken at lines 32-32 in FIG. 33.

FIG. 33 is a partially exploded view of the tongue of FIG. 25.

FIG. 34 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper of the article of footwear of FIG. 25 with the tongue partially assembled.

FIG. 35 is a plan view of an embodiment of the strap of FIG. 28.

FIG. 36 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the strap of FIG. 35 taken at lines 36-36 in FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the strap of FIG. 35 taken at lines 37-37 in FIG. 35.

FIG. 38 is a close-up partially exploded cross-sectional view of the free end of the strap of FIG. 36.

FIG. 39 is a cross-sectional view of the upper of the article of footwear of FIG. 31 taken at lines 39-39 in FIG. 31.

FIG. 40 is a cross-sectional view of the upper of the article of footwear of FIG. 30 taken at lines 40-40 in FIG. 30.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear configured for a right foot showing an upper with a base layer, a tongue in an access position, and a strap unsecured.

FIG. 42 is a perspective view of an article of footwear like that of FIG. 41 but configured for a left foot with the tongue in a use position, and the strap shown crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear showing an upper with a base layer, a tongue in an access position, and a strap unsecured.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear showing an upper with a base layer, a tongue in a use position, and a strap shown crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 45 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a base layer, a tongue, and a single strap, with the tongue in a use position and the strap crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 46 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a base layer, a tongue, and a single strap, with the tongue in a use position and the strap crossing over the tongue and secured at the base layer.

FIG. 47 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of a sole structure for any of the articles of footwear of FIGS. 1-46.

FIG. 48 is a bottom view of the sole structure of FIG. 47.

FIG. 49 is a front view of the sole structure of FIG. 47.

FIG. 50 is a rear view of the sole structure of FIG. 47.

FIG. 51 is a cross-sectional view of the sole structure of FIG. 47 taken at lines 51-51 in FIG. 47.

FIG. 52 is a lateral side view of the sole structure of FIG. 47.

FIG. 53 is a medial side view of the sole structure of FIG. 47.

FIG. 54 is a bottom view of an alternative sole structure for any of the articles of footwear of FIG. 1-46.

FIG. 55 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a tongue in a use position and first and second straps shown crossing over the tongue and secured at a base layer.

FIG. 56 is a medial side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 55.

FIG. 57 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear having an upper with a tongue in a use position, a single anchoring strap shown crossing over the tongue, and an auxiliary strap secured to the anchoring strap.

FIG. 58 is a medial side view of the article of footwear of FIG. 57, with the anchoring strap shown crossing over the tongue and secured at a base layer, and the auxiliary strap extending under and fixed to the anchoring strap.

DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to an article of footwear that has an upper with a pivoting tongue that enables easy foot entry, and one or more anchoring straps configured to be easily movable and securable over the tongue for use. The footwear may be implemented for all sizes, and is especially useful for young children as it may enable them to independently don and doff their footwear.

In an example, an article of footwear includes a footwear upper that has a base layer, a tongue, and a strap. The base layer defines a throat opening, and the tongue has a forward end fixed to the base layer forward of the throat opening. The tongue is pivotable about the forward end between an access position and a use position. For example, the tongue may be configured to easily reflect (e.g., fold or bend) about the forward end to uncover most or all of the throat opening in the access position. A larger entry area is thus available for foot entry when the tongue is in the access position.

The tongue extends over and covers the throat opening in the use position, and rests against the exterior of the base layer at a medial side of the base layer and at a lateral side of the base layer. Stated differently, the tongue covers over the top side of the throat opening and overlaps the base layer on either side of the throat opening.

The strap has an anchored end fixed at the base layer (e.g., fixed relative to the base layer, including indirectly fixed to the base layer). The strap has a securing end selectively securable at the base layer (e.g., selectively securable relative to the base layer, including indirectly securable to the base layer). The strap crosses over an exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position. The strap thus holds the tongue in place over the foot during use.

The strap may be configured to be easily securable and releasable. For example, a first fastener, such as a hook-and-loop fastener may be fixed at the securing end of the strap, and a second fastener may be fixed at a side of the upper opposite from the side at which the anchored end of the strap is fixed. The strap may thus be secured simply by pressing the first fastener against the second fastener, and released by pulling the securing end of the strap away from the second fastener to release the first fastener from the second fastener.

In some examples, only a single strap is selectively securable over the tongue. Other examples include a first strap and a second strap, e.g., a medial strap and a lateral strap, that cross over the tongue to opposite sides of the upper, with one of the straps crossing over the other strap.

Other features of the article of footwear may include a tongue pull, a heel pull, binding or reinforcing skin that helps stiffen the perimeter of the upper around the throat opening to maintain the opening shape for easy entry, and that provides structure at the side and rear edges of the tongue. Foam cushioning on the underside of the tongue and at a heel collar of the upper may also be used to provide structure to maintain the opening size and tongue shape, as well as to increase comfort.

The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present teachings are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the modes for carrying out the present teachings when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though in the following Figures embodiments may be separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like components, FIG. 1 shows an article of footwear 10 that includes an upper 12 with a pivotable tongue 14 and two straps 16A, 16B (also referred to as anchoring straps) that are configured to enable easy donning and doffing of the footwear 10 as described herein.

FIG. 1 is a lateral side view of the article of footwear 10 showing the upper 12 secured to a sole structure 18 to together define a foot-receiving cavity 20 in which a foot is disposed when the footwear 10 is worn. The article of footwear 10 may also be referred to herein as footwear 10. The article of footwear 10 has a forefoot region 22, a midfoot region 24, and a heel region 26. The heel region 26 generally corresponds with rear portions of a wearer's foot including the calcaneus bone, with the foot corresponding to the size of the article of footwear 10. The forefoot region 22 generally includes portions of the article of footwear 10 corresponding with the toes and the joints connecting the metatarsals with the phalanges of the foot. The midfoot region 24 generally corresponds with an arch area of the foot, and extends from the forefoot region 22 to the heel region 26. The forefoot region 22, midfoot region 24, and heel region 26 are used herein to describe portions of both the sole structure 18 and portions of the upper 12.

FIG. 1 shows a lateral side 28 of the article of footwear 10, and FIG. 2 shows an opposite medial side 30 of the article of footwear 10. The lateral side 28 and the medial side 30 are used herein to describe portions of both the sole structure 18 and portions of the upper 12. The lateral side 28 and the medial side 30 extend through each of forefoot region 22, the midfoot region 24, and the heel region 26 and correspond with opposite sides of the article of footwear 10 divided by a longitudinal axis LM (indicated in FIG. 3), which may be a longitudinal midline of the article of footwear 10.

The forefoot region 22, the midfoot region 24, and the heel region 26 are not intended to demarcate precise areas of footwear 10, but are instead intended to represent general areas of the article of footwear 10 to aid in the discussion. As is evident in the top view of FIG. 3, the article of footwear 10 is for a right foot. A pair of footwear includes the article of footwear 10, and an article of footwear for a left foot that is a mirror image of the article of footwear 10. Accordingly, the description of the footwear 10 applies equally to a right foot article of footwear and a left foot article of footwear, both of which are within the scope of the present teachings.

The sole structure 18 may include any or all of an outsole, a midsole, and one or more fluid-filled or foam cushioning elements. Additionally, the sole structure 18 may be equipped with spikes, cleats, or other ground-engaging members. In the embodiment shown, the sole structure 18 is a unisole serving as both a midsole and an outsole, and may include outsole components at high wear areas of the sole structure 18, such as a forefoot outsole component 19 and a heel outsole component 21. For example, the outsole components 19, 21 may comprise rubber.

The upper 12 includes multiple components that cooperate to provide comfort and support. For example, as best shown in FIG. 6, the upper 12 includes a base layer 32 coupled at a lower extent to the sole structure 18. The base layer 32 defines a throat opening 34. The base layer 32 extends in both the forefoot region 22 and midfoot region 24, and into the heel region 26 where it is secured to heel foxing 36 that extends around and defines a rear of the upper 12. The base layer 32 may comprise, but is not limited to, a textile, such as a woven or knit textile. A toe guard 45, may be secured at a front of the base layer 32, and may be, but is not limited to, a leather material.

A heel collar 38 is secured to an upper extent of the heel foxing 36 and defines an ankle opening 40 (see FIG. 6) that extends rearward from the throat opening 34. Stated differently, the throat opening 34 extends into (e.g., merges with) the ankle opening 40.

In FIGS. 1-3, the tongue 14 is shown in a use position and the straps 16A, 16B are shown crossing over an exterior 42 of the tongue 14 and secured relative to the base layer 32. The straps 16A, 16B maintain the tongue 14 in the use position while the article of footwear 10 is worn for various activities, and then may be released to enable the tongue 14 to be pivoted to an access position, shown and discussed with respect to FIG. 7.

The medial strap 16A is also referred to herein as a first strap and has an anchored end 43 that is fixed to the sole structure 18 and/or to a lower extent of the base layer 32 at the medial side 30. Similarly, the lateral strap 16B is also referred to herein as a second strap and has an anchored end 44 that is fixed to the sole structure 18 and/or to a lower extent of the base layer 32 at the lateral side 28. By fixing the anchored ends 43, 44 to the sole structure 18 and/or to the base layer 32, the anchored ends 43, 44 are thus fixed relative to the base layer 32 in that they do not move relative to the base layer 32. The anchored ends 43, 44 are also referred to as fixed ends.

The strap 16A has a securing end 46 that is selectively securable relative to the base layer 32 as shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, the strap 16B has a securing end 48 that is selectively securable relative to the base layer 32, as shown in FIG. 2. The securing ends 46, 48 of the straps 16A, 16B may be referred to as free ends as they are unfixed and freely movable relative to the base layer 32, the tongue 14, and the sole structure 18, except when they are selectively secured to the article of footwear 10 as described herein.

As used herein, an “end” of the strap 16A or 16B generally refers to an extremity of the strap 16A or 16B, and is not limited to but includes the absolute extremity of the strap 16A or 16B such as the terminal end of the strap 16A or 16B.

As best shown in FIG. 3, each strap 16A, 16B crosses over the exterior 42 of the tongue 14 with the securing end 46, 48 secured relative to the base layer 32 at the heel foxing 36. More specifically, the lateral strap 16B is shown wrapped first over the tongue 14 with the securing end 48 secured at the medial side 30. The medial strap 16A is shown wrapped next over the exterior 42 of the tongue 14 and also over the lateral strap 16B with the securing end 46 secured at the lateral side 28. A portion of the lateral strap 16B is thus between the medial strap 16A and the exterior 42 of the tongue 14. Alternatively, the medial strap 16A could be wrapped first over the tongue 14 with the securing end 46 secured at the lateral side 28. The lateral strap 16B could then be wrapped next over the exterior 42 of the tongue 14 and also over a portion of the medial strap 16A with the securing end 48 secured at the medial side 30. A portion of the medial strap 16A would be between the lateral strap 16B and the exterior 42 of the tongue 14 in this alternative arrangement.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an outer side 50 of the first strap 16A. FIG. 5 is a plan view of an outer side 52 of the second strap 16B. Each strap 16A, 16B tapers in width from the respective anchoring end 43, 44 (also referred to as the fixed end) to the respective securing end 46, 48 (also referred to as the free end). The wider anchoring ends 43, 44 provide greater support to the foot at the lateral and medial sides 28, 30 than would a narrower strap, which may be helpful during side-to-side movement.

FIG. 14 is plan view of a first embodiment of the first strap 16A of FIG. 4. The description of the first strap 16A in FIGS. 14-16 and the alternative first strap 16AA in FIGS. 17-19 applies equally to the second strap 16B. As shown in FIG. 15, a first fastener 54 is fixed at the securing end 46 of the strap 16A at an inner side 58 of the strap 16A. The first fastener 54 may also be referred to as a first strap fastener portion (or a second strap fastener portion when a like fastener 54 is secured to the second strap 16B), and includes a plurality of hooks 56 of a hook-and-loop fastener material. Suitable material with hooks 56 and loops 70 for the heel foxing 36 is available from 3M Company at 3M Center, St. Paul, Minn. under the trade name VELCRO™.

The first strap 16A includes an outer layer 59 that may be referred to as a skin and defines the outer side 50. The outer layer 59 may be leather or another durable material that is relatively inextensible. Additionally, the strap 16A, including the outer layer 59, may be sectioned and may include an elastic gore that may be disposed between and connect the sections, as described with respect to the elastic gore 1423 and sections 1419 and 1421 of the strap 1416B of FIGS. 57-58. Accordingly, the first strap 16A, the second strap 16B, and any of the straps shown and discussed with respect to other embodiments herein may be configured to be relatively inextensible except at a gore section to maintain the fit of the upper to the foot during wear.

Referring to FIG. 15, the first strap 16A includes an inner layer 60 that defines the inner side 58. The first fastener 54 is fixed to the inner layer 60 such as by sewing, heat bonding, adhesive, or otherwise.

A substrate layer 62 is disposed between the outer layer 59 and the inner layer 60. As shown in FIG. 16, the outer layer 59 covers the edges of the substrate layer 62 defining a ridge 64 to provide a three-dimensional effect at the outer layer 59. The substrate layer 62 increases the overall thickness of the strap 16A, and may be compressed at one or more locations to help define various designs and images pressed into the outer layer 59. The second strap 16B may be configured in the same manner as the first strap 16A.

An alternative construction of the first strap 16A and the second strap 16B is represented by an alternative first strap 16AA shown in FIGS. 17-19. An alternative outer layer 59A defines the outer side 50. An alternative inner layer 60A may be secured directly to the outer layer 59A without the substrate layer 62 of FIGS. 15-16. The outer layer 59A may be a synthetic material and the inner layer 60A may be natural leather, for example. The outer layer 59A may be heat formed to create the ridge 64. As with strap 16A, the strap 16AA, including the outer layer 59, may be sectioned and may include an elastic gore that may disposed between and connect the sections, as described with respect to the elastic gore 1423 and sections 1419 and 1421 of the strap 1416B of FIGS. 57-58.

The exterior of the heel foxing 36 has a plurality of loops 70, and the hooks 56 (shown in FIG. 15) are configured to engage the loops 70 to releasably secure the first fasteners 54 of the free ends 46, 48 of the straps 16A, 16B as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The heel foxing 36 and loops 70 are referred to as the second fastener to which the first fasteners 54 are releasably securable. Alternatively, the first fastener 54 could be loop material (e.g., a plurality of loops) and the outer side of the heel foxing 36 could be a hook material (e.g., a plurality of hooks). In another alternative, both the first fastener 54 and the outer side of the heel foxing 36 could include a plurality of loops and a plurality of hooks such that the first fastener 54 is releasably securable to the heel foxing 36.

Although the embodiments herein illustrate hook-and-loop material for fastening the straps 16A, 16B to the heel foxing 36, as an alternative to the hooks 56 and loops 70, the first fastener at the free ends 46, 48 of the straps 16A, 16B could instead be snaps, magnets, or buttons for example, with a first portion of the snap or magnet fixed to the free ends 46, 48 and a second portion that secures to the first portion fixed to the heel foxing 36 (or with a button hole on the free end 46, 48 and a button on each of the lateral side 28 and on the medial side 30 of the heel foxing 36). The hook-and-loop material of the first fastener 54 and the heel foxing 36 provides a more finely-tuned fit adjustment than snaps or magnets, however, as the spacing between hooks and loops is minimal to allow a greater number of incremental secured positions of the straps 16A, 16B than if spaced snaps or magnets were used, for example. Additionally, hook-and-loop fastening may be easier for young children and those with limited dexterity to manipulate than other fastener types.

The heel foxing 36 is also configured to aid in proper securement of the straps 16A, 16B. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the heel foxing 36 has a medial edge 36A at the medial side 30 of the base layer 32 that angles upwards and forward from the heel region 26 through the midfoot region 24. The angle of the medial edge 36A is selected so that the lower edge 72 of the strap 16B can be aligned with the medial edge 36A and the alignment places the strap 16B in a snug and untwisted position against the medial side 30 of the base layer 32.

Similarly, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, the heel foxing 36 has a lateral edge 36B at the lateral side 28 of the base layer 32 that angles upwards and forward from the heel region 26 through the midfoot region 24. The angle of the lateral edge 36B is selected so that the lower edge 74 of the strap 16A can be aligned with the lateral edge 36B and the alignment places the strap 16A in a snug and untwisted position against the lateral side 28 of the base layer 32.

As shown in FIG. 3, with the tongue 14 in the use position and the securing ends 46, 48 secured as described, the medial strap 16A crosses over the medial edge 84 and the lateral edge 86 of the tongue 14 at the exterior 42 of the tongue 14, and the lateral strap 16B crosses over the medial edge 84 and the lateral edge 86 of the tongue 14 at the exterior 42 of the tongue 14. The straps 16A, 16B thus maintain the tongue 14 in the use position until the wearer decides to release the straps 16A, 16B by lifting the ends 46, 48 away from the heel foxing 36 with sufficient force to peel the hooks 56 out of the loops 70.

The tongue 14 has many features that enable it to be easily pivotable between the access position of FIG. 7 and the use position of FIGS. 1-3, and consistently cover the entire width of the throat opening 34 and lay against the exterior 42 of the base layer 32 without wrinkling or twisting so that the tongue 14 rests comfortably over the foot each time it is pivoted to the use position and anchored against the base layer 32 by the straps 16A, 16B.

For example, the tongue 14 has a forward end 80 (best shown in FIG. 10) that is fixed to the base layer 32 forward of the throat opening 34. Although the tongue 14 is removed in FIG. 6, a phantom line in FIG. 6 indicates the outer boundary 14A of the tongue 14 when the tongue 14 is disposed in the use position. The forward end 80 is secured slightly forward of the forwardmost end 34A of the throat opening 34 at the portion of the outer boundary 14A labelled 80A. The forward end 80 could be fixed at an interior side of the base layer 32 (and any inner layer or layers, such as a liner) or may be fixed to the exterior 82 of the base layer 32.

A medial edge 84 of the tongue 14 (shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 10) rests against the exterior 82 of the base layer 32 at the medial side 30 of the base layer 32 when the tongue 14 is in the use position. Accordingly, the medial edge 84 extends further medially than the medial edge 34B of the throat opening 34, as indicated by a portion of the outer boundary 14A labelled 84A in FIG. 6, representing the position of the medial edge 84 when the tongue 14 is in the use position.

A lateral edge 86 of the tongue 14 (shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 7, and 10) rests against the exterior 82 of the base layer 32 at the lateral side 28 of the base layer 32 when the tongue 14 is in the use position. Accordingly, the lateral edge 86 extends further laterally than the lateral edge 34C of the throat opening 34, as indicated by a portion of the outer boundary 14A labelled 86A in FIG. 6, representing the position of the lateral edge 86 when the tongue 14 is in the use position.

The tongue 14 is fixed to the base layer 32 only at the forward end 80 forward of the forwardmost end 34A of the throat opening 34. The tongue 14 includes an outer layer 90 at the forward end 80 and, optionally, an inner layer 109 and webbing 120 may also extend to the forward end 80 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). Accordingly, the forward end 80 is a relatively thin portion of the tongue 14 particularly adapted for pivoting, as the relatively thin outer layer 90, inner layer 109, and webbing 120 are able to fold or bend during pivoting more readily than would a thicker and stiffer portion of the tongue 14 (e.g., a portion including foam 131 and/or edge binding 102 discussed herein).

The tongue 14 may be fixed to the base layer 32 by a first series of stitches 92 (see FIG. 11) extending through and stitching the forward end 80 of the tongue 14 to the base layer 32 forward of the throat opening 34. The first series of stitches 92 are shown in FIG. 11, in which the upper 12 is only partially assembled, and are indicated with hidden lines in FIG. 3. In FIGS. 10-12, the portions 90A, 90B of the outer layer 90 of the tongue 14 are illustrated with part of a center seam 119 displaced and not completely sewn to one another in order to illustrate a tongue pull 120A in a perspective view. When fully assembled, the inner peripheral edges 90C, 90D of the respective portions 90B, 90A abut along their entire lengths at the seam 119 and the stitching 118 extends along the entire length of the edges 90C, 90D.

After the tongue 14 is stitched to the base layer 32 with the first series of stitches 92, a cover skin 94 may be disposed over the first series of stitches 92, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, 7, and 12. The cover skin 94 may be, for example, leather or another material that protects the first series of stitches 92 and is readily flexible as it bends or folds as the tongue 14 pivots.

A second series of stitches 96 are shown in FIGS. 1-3, 7, and 12. The second series of stitches 96 may extend through the cover skin 94 and the base layer 32 to stitch the cover skin 94 and the forward end 80 of the tongue 14 to the base layer 32 forward of the throat opening 34. The second series of stitches 96 may be disposed over the first series of stitches 92, extending along the same path as the first series of stitches 92, to reinforce the first series of stitches 92 in addition to securing the cover skin 94 to the base layer 32.

FIGS. 10-12 thus show the progression of securing the tongue 14 to the base layer 32 by first disposing the forward end 80 shown in FIG. 10 on the exterior 82 of the base layer 32 shown in FIG. 11 forward of the forwardmost end 34A of the throat opening 34. In FIG. 11, the base layer 32 is spread into a relatively flat position, and the securement of the tongue 14 to the base layer 32 occurs prior to securing the lower extent of the base layer 32 to the sole structure 18. When secured to the sole structure 18, rear edges 98, 100 of the base layer 32 are positioned adjacent one another at the heel region 26. In FIG. 12, the cover skin 94 is first placed over the first series of stitches 92 and then stitched to the base layer 32 with the second series of stitches 96.

Although the tongue 14 is configured to be relatively thin and flexible at its forward end 80 by having only an outer layer 90 (and, optionally, the thin inner layer 109) at the forward end 80, the tongue 14 has features configured to reinforce the remaining edges of the outer layer 90 (e.g., the remaining perimeter other than the forward end 80, including the edges 84, 86) so that the tongue 14 will tend to remain relatively spread out or fanned out as opposed to folding or wrinkling at the perimeter of the tongue 14. This enables the tongue 14 to reliably extend outward of the medial and lateral edges 34B, 34C of the throat opening 34 when secured during use as discussed. The outer layer 90 may be, for example, the same material as the base layer 32, such as a textile.

In the embodiment of the article of footwear 10, a tongue edge binding 102 is secured along the medial edge 84, along the lateral edge 86, and along a rear end 104 of the outer layer 90 of the tongue 14, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, and 7-12. In the drawings, for purposes of illustration, the edges 84, 86, and end 104 of the outer layer 90 are indicated as coincident with the edges of the tongue edge binding 102 as the tongue edge binding 102 may be relatively thin and is wrapped tightly around the edges of the outer layer 90. In an example, the tongue edge binding 102 may be nylon, polyester, leather, etc. As shown in FIG. 8, there may be a small gap between the edges 84, 86 and the tongue edge binding 102. Stitching 108 extends through the tongue edge binding 102 and the outer layer 90 to secure the tongue edge binding 102 to the outer layer 90, as best shown in FIG. 8. The stitching 108 also extends through an inner layer 109 of the tongue 14, and is shown as having a zig-zag pattern (see FIG. 1). The tongue edge binding 102 is thus also wrapped around the outer edge of the inner layer 109. The inner layer 109 may be thinner than the outer layer 90, and may be, but is not limited to, a nylon liner.

In order to maintain the flexibility of the forward end 80 for pivoting between the access position and the use position, the tongue edge binding 102 does not extend to the forward end 80. As best shown in FIGS. 9-12, the tongue edge binding 102 has a medial terminal end 102A rearward of the forward end 80, and a lateral terminal end 102B rearward of the forward end 80. Accordingly, the medial edge 84 of the outer layer 90 has an unbinded portion 84A exposed between the medial terminal end 102A of the tongue edge binding 102 and the forward end 80. Similarly, and the lateral edge 86 of the outer layer 90 has an unbinded portion 86A exposed between the lateral terminal end 102B of the tongue edge binding 102 and the forward end 80 of the tongue 14. Even when the cover skin 94 is secured to the outer layer 90, at least some of the unbinded portions 84A, 86A may still be exposed, as best shown in FIG. 12. The tongue 14 may tend to bend or fold at these unbinded portions 84A, 86A when pivoting near the forward end 80 rather than more rearward where the edges 84, 86 are covered by the binding 102 and where, therefore, the tongue 14 is thicker. The portions 84A, 86A of the edges 84, 86 remain a relatively thin portion of the edges 84, 86, as only the outer layer 90 and inner layer 109 and not the binding 102 extend at these portions of the edges 84, 86. The tongue edge binding 102 thus helps to control the location of pivoting of the tongue to near the forward end 80, which results in the greatest exposure of the throat opening 34 for access when donning the footwear 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, edge binding 110 may also be secured to the base layer 32 along a perimeter of the throat opening 34 at a medial edge 34B of the throat opening and at a lateral edge 34C of the throat opening 34. In an example, the edge binding 110 may be nylon, polyester, leather, etc. The edge binding 110 further extends along and is secured to the collar 38 at a perimeter of the ankle opening 40. It is noted that in the plan views herein, the cushioning of the collar 38 bulges inward below the top of the ankle opening 40.

The edge binding 110 terminates rearward of the forwardmost end 34A of the throat opening 34 such that the forwardmost end 34A and forward portions of the medial and lateral edges 34B, 34C of the throat opening 34 are free from any edge binding 110. As best shown in FIGS. 6-7, the edge binding 110 has a medial terminal end 110A disposed along the medial edge 34B rearward of the forwardmost end 34A, and a lateral terminal end 110B disposed along the lateral edge 34C rearward of the forwardmost end 34A. Accordingly, the medial edge 34B has an unbinded portion 112A exposed between the medial terminal end 110A of the edge binding 110 and the forwardmost end 34A. Similarly, and the lateral edge 34C has an unbinded portion 112B exposed between the lateral terminal end 110B of the edge binding 110 and the forwardmost end 34A. Because the throat opening 34 is rounded at the intersection of the medial edge 34B with the forwardmost end 34A and at the intersection of the lateral edge 34C with the forwardmost end 34A, some bending or folding may occur at the unbinded portions 112A, 112B during pivoting of the tongue 14. Leaving these portions 112A, 112B unbinded reduces their thickness in comparison to the portions of the edges 34B, 34C with binding 110, allowing more flexibility to reduce resistance to pivoting of the tongue 14 from the use position to the access position, and from the access position to the use position.

FIGS. 8-9 show the construction of the tongue 14. The outer layer 90 of the tongue 14 includes a medial side portion 90A and a lateral side portion 90B. An inner peripheral edge 90C of the lateral side portion 90B is joined to an inner peripheral edge 90D of the medial side portion 90A at a seam 119 with serge stitching 118. The medial side portion 90A and the lateral side portion 90B may be mirror images of one another.

Webbing 120 is disposed over and along the seam 119 and stitched to the medial side portion 90A and the lateral side portion 90B with stitching 122. The webbing 120 is thus secured along a central portion 115 of the outer layer 90 between the forward end 80 of the tongue 14 and a rear end 104 of the tongue 14, but does not extend completely to the rear end 104. Instead, the stitching 122 ends partway between the rear end 104 and the forward end 80, and the webbing 120 is doubled over to create a loop portion serving as the tongue pull 120A and is secured to itself (and to the underlying outer layer 90 and inner layer 109) by a box stitch 120B disposed at and defining an anchor location 120C. The outer layer 90 includes the forward end 80 of the tongue 14.

Foam 131 is disposed at an inner side 132 of the outer layer 90 as shown in FIG. 8. The foam 131 is divided into a medial foam component 131A at the medial side 30 of the tongue 14, and a lateral foam component 131B at the lateral side 28 of the tongue 14. The medial foam component 131A and the lateral foam component 131B are separated from one another by a gap 134 extending along a length of the inner side 132 of the outer layer 90. The relatively thin and flexible, inner layer 109 is able to extend into the gap 134 and be stitched to the outer layer 90 with the stitching 118 in the gap 134. When the tongue 14 is in the use position, the foam 131 is positioned over the throat opening 34. Providing the gap 134 allows greater flexibility of the foam 131 to provide a more customized fit to the top of the foot as the two foam components 131A, 131B can be moved closer together (e.g., closing the gap 134) as the tongue 14 conforms to the top of the foot and to the exterior of the base layer 32 and is held in position by the straps 16A, 16B.

Referring to FIG. 9, a forwardmost-edge 130C of the foam 131 is rearward of the forward end 80 of the tongue 14. Stated differently, the outer layer 90 and inner layer 109 extend forward further than the foam 131 to ensure flexibility at the forward end 80. Stitching 136 (partially visible in FIG. 7) may secure the outer layer 90 and the inner layer 109 forward of the stitching 108 of the tongue edge binding 102.

The webbing 120 forms the tongue pull 120A extending in a loop from the anchor location 120C that is disposed between the rear end 104 of the tongue and the forward end 80 of the tongue 14 along the central portion 115. As best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, after the medial side portion 90A and the lateral side portion 90B are joined at the seam 119, the stitching 122 secures a lower portion of the webbing 120 to the outer layer 90 and inner layer 109, and the box stitch 120B is added well below the rear end 104 so that that portion of the webbing 120 forming the tongue pull 120A is not secured to the outer layer 90 rearward of the anchor location 120C.

The straps 16A, 16B will generally be disposed over the anchor location 120C and act to maintain part of the tongue pull 120A flattened under the straps 16A, 16B when the tongue 14 is in the use position and the straps 16A, 16B are secured, making it more difficult to access the tongue pull 120A until the straps 16A, 16B are released.

Additionally, by placing the anchor location 120C significantly forward of the rear end 104, pulling the tongue pull 120A a given distance will pivot the tongue 14 further than if the anchor location 120C were closer to or at the rear end 104 and the tongue pull 120A was pulled the same distance.

Referring to FIG. 1, webbing 130 is secured to the heel foxing 36 and to the heel collar 38 at a rear of the heel region 26. The webbing 130 is doubled over and stitched or otherwise secured to itself to define a heel pull 130A secured to the collar 38 rearward of the ankle opening 40. The heel pull 130A may be used to pull the footwear 10 onto the foot when inserting the foot into the foot-receiving cavity 20, and may also be used to pull the footwear off of the foot when the straps 16A, 16B are unsecured and the tongue 14 is in the access position.

FIG. 13 shows the upper 12 in greater detail at the collar 38. The collar 38 includes an outer layer 140 and the upper 12 also includes an inner layer 142 (e.g., a lining) that extends to the upper edge of the outer layer 140 where it is stitched to the outer layer 140 by stitching 144 that also secures the binding 110. The inner layer 142 thus forms the inner side of the collar 38.

Foam 146 is disposed between the outer layer 140 and the inner layer 142 so that the foam 146 extends along an inner side 148 of an outer layer 140 of the collar 38. The foam 146 may be sufficiently thick to cause a significant outward bulge of the outer layer 140 and inward bulge of the inner layer 142.

A substrate 150 may be disposed inward of the heel foxing 36 and may be the same material as the substrate 62 of the strap 16A, for example. The substrate 150 helps to provide structure so that the substrate 150 and heel foxing 36 function as a heel counter.

A thin layer of foam 152 may be disposed between the substrate 150 and the inner layer 142 and compresses to conform to the wearer's heel to improve the fit of the article of footwear 10. The upper edge of the heel foxing 136 and substrate 150 are folded over and stitching 154 extends through the heel foxing 36, the substrate 150, the foam 152 and the inner layer 142.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 210 having many of the same components of the article of footwear 10, referred to with like reference numbers, including an upper 212 with a base layer 32, a tongue 14 secured to the base layer 32 at a forward end 80 and pivotable at the forward end 80 between access and use positions, a first strap 16A, and a second strap 16B. FIG. 20 shows the tongue 14 in a partially open position (e.g., a position between the use position and the access position). The first and second straps 16A, 16B are shown unsecured, with the first strap 16A (e.g., the medial strap) being crossed over the tongue 14 first (e.g., prior to the second strap 16B).

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the article of footwear 210 with the tongue 14 in the use position and the first and second straps 16A, 16B in secured positions, but with the second strap 16B (e.g., the lateral strap) instead crossed over the tongue 14 prior to the first strap 16A so that the second strap 16B is disposed between the tongue 14 and the first strap 16A.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the article of footwear 210 with the tongue 14 in the use position and the first and second straps 16A, 16B in secured positions, but with the first strap 16A (e.g., the medial strap) crossed over the tongue 14 prior to the second strap 16B so that the first strap 16A is disposed between the tongue 14 and the second strap 16B. A wearer may choose to cross over and secure the straps 16A, 16B in either order, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22.

FIG. 23 is a medial side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 310 having many of the same components of the article of footwear 10, referred to with like reference numbers, including an upper 312 with the base layer 32, the tongue 14 secured to the base layer 32 at the forward end 80 and pivotable at the forward end 80 between access and use positions, the second strap 16B, and instead of the first strap 16A, a wider first strap 316A (e.g., medial strap). The first and second straps 316A, 16B are shown in secured positions overlaying the tongue 14. The first strap 316A has a wider fixed end 343. Stated differently, the fixed end 343 extends over a greater length of the medial side 30 of the footwear 310, extending further back into the midfoot region 24 than strap 16A. The strap 316A may thus provide greater support at the medial side 30 around the forefoot region 22 and midfoot region 24 than the strap 16A with the narrower fixed end 43. Additionally, a larger forefoot outsole element 319 is provided in place of forefoot outsole component 19. Although not limited to any age group, the article of footwear 310 may be configured for an older subset of wearers of the footwear 16, such as preschoolers as opposed to toddlers, and the wider strap 316A remains in place under the relatively higher loads applied by, on average, these larger and heavier wearers.

FIG. 24 is a medial side view of another alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 410 having many of the same components of the article of footwear 10, referred to with like reference numbers, including an upper 412 with the base layer 32, the tongue 14 secured to the base layer 32 at the forward end 80 and pivotable at the forward end 80 between access and use positions, with the tongue 14 shown in a use position. Webbing 430 defining a heel pull 430A is secured only at discrete areas to the heel foxing 36. The article of footwear 410 includes only the single strap 16A (e.g., the medial strap), and the strap 16B (e.g., the lateral strap) is not provided. Because there is no strap 16B, no fastener loops 70 need be provided on the heel foxing 36 at the medial side 30. Although not limited to any age group, the article of footwear 410 may be configured for a younger subset of wearers, such as toddlers as opposed to preschoolers, as the single strap 16A is sufficient to remain in place under the relatively lower loads applied by, on average, these smaller and lighter wearers. Additionally, it may be easier for these younger wearers to manipulate the single strap 16A as opposed to securing two separate straps.

FIG. 25 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 510 that utilizes only a single anchoring strap 516. Many of the components of the article of footwear 510 are the same as those of the article of footwear 10, and are referred to with like reference numbers. The footwear 510 has an upper 512 with a base layer 532, which may comprise a textile or other material. The base layer 532 extends to the rear of the heel region 26, as there is no heel foxing as on the footwear 10. The footwear 510 includes a tongue 514, and the single anchoring strap 516, with the tongue 514 shown in a use position and the strap 516 shown crossing over the tongue 514 and secured at the base layer 532. The strap 516 crosses over the medial edge 84 and the lateral edge 86 of the tongue 514 and rests against the exterior 42 of the tongue 514 with the tongue in the use position, as best shown in the top view of FIG. 27. The tongue 514 extends over the throat opening 34 of FIG. 30 and rests on the exterior 582 of the base layer 532 at both the medial side 30 and the lateral side 28, as the medial edge 84 and the lateral edge 86 of the tongue 514 extend further outward than the respective edges 34B, 34C.

More specifically, the strap 516 crosses over the exterior 42 of the tongue 514 from an anchored end 43 (also referred to as a fixed end) of the strap 516 fixed at the medial side 30 of the upper 512 in FIG. 26 to a securing end 46 (also referred to as a free end) shown selectively secured at the lateral side 28 of the upper 512 in FIG. 25. In an alternative arrangement, the strap 516 and upper 512 could be configured with the fixed end at the lateral side 28 and the selectively securable free end at the medial side 30.

Similar to the strap 16A, the first fastener 54 (shown in FIGS. 36 and 38) is fixed at an inner side of the securing end 46 of the strap 516. A second fastener 536 is fixed at the lateral side 28 of the upper 512, as shown in FIGS. 25, 30, and 31, for example. The first fastener 54 is constructed to releasably secure to the second fastener 536. For example, the first fastener 54 includes the plurality of hooks 56 (see FIG. 38), and the second fastener 536 includes a plurality of loops 70 (see FIG. 29). As discussed with respect to the article of footwear 10, the first fastener 54 could instead be loop material (e.g., a plurality of loops) and the second fastener 536 could instead be a plurality of hooks (hook material). In another alternative, both the first fastener 54 and the second fastener 536 could include a plurality of loops and a plurality of hooks such that the first fastener 54 is releasably securable to the second fastener 536.

The upper 512 includes a medial-side quarter overlay 537A (see FIG. 26) and a lateral-side quarter overlay 537B (see FIG. 25). The quarter overlays 537A, 537B may also be referred to as foxing overlays, and are stitched to the base layer 532 and secured to the sole structure 18. The fixed end 43 of the strap 516 is stitched to the medial-side quarter overlay 537A and may extend under the quarter overlay 537A to the sole structure 18, at a terminal edge 516A of the strap 516 shown in FIG. 28 (covered by the medial-side quarter overlay 537A in FIG. 26).

The second fastener 536 is fixed to the lateral-side quarter overlay 537B, such as by stitching 541 (see FIGS. 29 and 31) a fixed end 536A of the second fastener 536 to the lateral-side quarter overlay 537B as discussed in greater detail with respect to FIG. 29. The quarter overlays 537A, 537B may be a relatively inextensible material, such as leather, which may be a synthetic leather, or other synthetic material such that they provide a stable anchor for the strap 516 and for the second fastener 536, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 35-38, the strap 516 includes an outer layer 59A establishing an outer side 50 of the strap 516, and an inner layer 60A establishing an inner side 58 of the strap 516, similar to the strap 16A. A foam layer 67 is disposed between the inner layer 60A and the outer layer 59A, a substrate layer 68 is disposed at an inner side of the foam layer 67, and the inner layer 60A is disposed at an inner side of the substrate layer. The inner layer 60A, the foam layer 67, the outer layer 59A, and the substrate layer 68 may be secured to one another, such as by thermal bonding or with adhesive, with a ridge 64 like that of the strap 16A defined in the outer layer 59A.

The fastener 54 is secured to a layer 61 that may be the same material as the inner layer 60A (e.g., leather) by stitching, adhesive, or otherwise. Another connecting layer 63 overlays adjacent portions of the outer sides of the layers 59A and 61. The layers 61, 63, and 59A are stitched to one another with stitching 65. The layer 61 establishes the securing end 46 of the strap 516.

Referring to FIGS. 29 and 31, the second fastener 536 has a fixed end 536A fixed at the base layer 532 by the stitching 541. The second fastener 536 also has a free end 536B opposite from the fixed end 536A that is not fixed relative to the base layer 532. Stated differently, the free end 536B can be manipulated away from the base layer 532 by pulling the free end 536B outward, for example.

FIG. 29 shows a substrate layer 539 and a skin layer 533, such as a leather skin layer, added to provide stiffness and structure to the second fastener 536, preventing the free end 536B from flopping outward or folding. The substrate layer 539 may be adhered to the backing 536C of the second fastener 536 and to the skin layer 533, or otherwise secured thereto. A substrate layer 543 is also added at the underside of the quarter overlay 537B and may be stitched or otherwise secured thereto. The stitching 541 extends through the quarter overlay 537B, the substrate layer 543, the backing 536C of the second fastener 536, the skin layer 533 and the base layer 532. The inner layer 142 is not shown in FIG. 29, but the stitching 541 may also extend through the inner layer 142.

The tongue 514 is removed in FIG. 30 to show the throat opening 34 and the ankle opening 40. Instead of the edge binding 110 of the upper 12 of the article of footwear 10 used to stiffen the upper 12 at these openings 34, 40, the upper 512 has an inner layer 142 similar to that of FIG. 13 but that extends upward beyond the upper edge of the base layer 532. The upper 512 has a strip of a reinforcing skin 508 that is secured to the base layer 532 near the upper edge of the base layer 532, that covers the upper edge, and extends further to overlay a portion of the outer side of the inner layer 142, but below the upper edge of the inner layer 142. The reinforcing skin 508 serves the stiffening function of the edge binding 110 near the openings 34, 40. The skin 508 may be secured by adhesive, thermal bonding, stitches, or otherwise.

Similar to the edge binding 110, a medial terminal end 508A and a lateral terminal end 508B of the reinforcing skin 508 terminate rearward of the forwardmost end 34A of the throat opening 34. The forwardmost end 34A is thus free from any reinforcing skin. The medial edge 34B has a portion 512A exposed between the medial terminal end 508A and the forwardmost end 34A. Similarly, the lateral edge 34C has a portion 512B exposed between the lateral terminal end 508B and the forwardmost end 34A. Because the throat opening 34 is rounded at the intersection of the medial edge 34B with the forwardmost end 34A and at the intersection of the lateral edge 34C with the forwardmost end 34A, some bending or folding may occur at the portions 512A, 512B during pivoting of the tongue 514. Terminating the reinforcing skin 508 rearward of these portions 512A, 512B reduces their thickness in comparison to the portions with the reinforcing skin 508, allowing more flexibility to reduce resistance to pivoting of the tongue 514 from the use position to the access position, and from the access position to the use position.

Referring to FIGS. 31-33, the tongue 514 is constructed with many of the same components as the tongue 14, except that the tongue edge binding 102 is replaced with a strip of a reinforcing skin 502, and an inner layer 509 is similar to inner layer 109 except that it extends further outward than the outer perimeter of the outer layer 90. The reinforcing skin 502 covers the edges 84, 86, as shown in FIG. 32, as well as the rear edge of the outer layer 90 and a front edge of the outer layer 90 (not visible but under the reinforcing skin 502 in FIG. 31). The reinforcing skin 502 extends further than the edges of the outer layer 90, onto and overlaying a portion of the outer side of the inner layer 509, but terminates prior to (e.g., does not extend to) the outer perimeter 511 of the inner layer 509, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. The strip of reinforcing skin 502 is thus disposed along and over an outer perimeter of the outer layer 90 and onto an outer side of the inner layer 509.

As shown in FIG. 33, the inner layer 509 extends further forward than the reinforcing skin 502, and further forward than the outer layer 90 and thus defines the forward end 80 of the tongue 514. Similar to tongue 14, the forward end 80 is disposed forward of the forwardmost end 34A of the throat opening 34, such as at location 80A in FIG. 30. The first series of stitches 92 in FIG. 34 extends only through the relatively thin inner layer 509 of the tongue 514 to secure the tongue 514 to the base layer 532. The cover skin 94 is then disposed over the stitches 92 and stitched to the inner layer 509 and the base layer 532 with the second series of stitches 96, similar to the process described with respect to tongue 14.

The reinforcing skin 502 serves the stiffening function of the edge binding 102. The tongue 514 may tend to bend or fold at the relatively thin inner layer 509 when pivoting near the forward end 80 rather than more rearward where the reinforcing skin 502 is disposed. The reinforcing skin 502 thus helps to control the location of pivoting of the tongue 514 to near the forward end 80, which results in the greatest exposure of the throat opening 34 for access when donning the footwear 510.

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, the upper 512 includes a heel band 560 that is fixed at the medial side 30 of the base layer 532 and at the lateral side 28 of the base layer 532 and extends along the exterior of a rear of the upper 512 from the medial side 30 of the base layer 532 to the lateral side 28 of the base layer 532, as best shown in FIG. 30. More specifically, the heel band 560 is stitched at the lateral side 28 to the lateral-side quarter overlay 537B with stitches 562 (see FIG. 25), and stitched at the medial side 30 to the medial-side quarter overlay 537A with stitches 564 (see FIG. 26).

The heel band 560 serves the function of maintaining the heel region 26 of the base layer 532 against the foot. Like the strap 516, the heel band 560 may be an inextensible material, such as leather. Alternatively, the heel band 560 may be elastic in some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 39, the heel band 560 includes an outer layer 561, a thin foam layer 563 secured to the inner side of the outer layer 561, and a skin layer 565, such as a leather material, secured at the inner side of the foam layer 563.

Webbing 530 is stitched to the base layer 532 and the inner layer 142 below the heel band 560 at stitches 570 and to the reinforcing skin 508 and the inner layer 142 above the heel band 560 at stitches 572, but leaving a portion of the webbing 530 between the stitches 570, 572 unstitched, creating an opening through which the heel band 560 extends under the webbing 530 as shown in FIG. 39. The webbing 530 is then doubled over to create a loop serving as a heel pull 530A, and may be box stitched or otherwise secured to itself at the location 574 to complete and close the loop.

Foam 146 is shown disposed between the inner layer 142 and the base layer 532 establishing a portion of a heel collar 576. FIG. 40 shows the heel collar 576 at the medial side 30. Stitching 572 extends through the inner layer 142 and the base layer 532 above the foam 146, and may also extend through the reinforcing skin 508, or the reinforcing skin 508 may be otherwise secured over the upper edge of the base layer 532 as described. The fixed end of the strap 516 (not shown in FIG. 30), is added in FIG. 40 where it is stitched to the medial-side quarter layer 537A with stitching 541.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 610 configured for a right foot and having many of the same components as footwear 510, which are indicated with like reference numbers. An upper 612 includes a fixed forefoot strap 616 extending over a tongue 614 shown with only a layer 690 serving as the outer layer that includes the forward end 80. Additionally, the tongue 614 is depicted as a unitary component rather than two portions secured at a center seam. No tongue pull is included on the tongue 614, but the tongue pull 120A could be included. The fixed forefoot strap 616 is fixed at both the medial side 30 and the lateral side 28 to the sole structure 18 with stitching. The fixed forefoot strap 616 limits the pivoting of the tongue 614 to an access position shown in FIG. 41. The access position of FIG. 41 shows the tongue 614 pivoting and bending at the fixed strap 616 rather than at the forward end 80. The fixed strap 616 provides a secure fit of the tongue 614 over the forward portions of the foot. The fixed strap 616 may be relatively inextensible material, and may be constructed of multiple layers similar to the strap 516, in some embodiments, or may be single layer of an elastic material in other embodiments.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 710 configured for a right foot and having many of the same components previously discussed. An upper 712 is shown with the tongue 614 in an access position, and the strap 516 unsecured. A tongue pull 720 is added and is secured near the rear end of the tongue 614 but without any webbing forming the loop of the tongue pull 720 extending down the length of the center portion of the tongue 614.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 810 configured for a left foot and having many of the same components previously discussed. An upper 812 has a reinforcing skin 722 with a circular shape stitched or otherwise secured over the ends of the webbing forming the tongue pull 720 to secure the tongue pull 720 to the outer layer 690 of the tongue 614. A strap 816 is similar to strap 516 except the fixed end is secured further forward than strap 516 at the medial side 30. For example, the strap 816 may be secured to the sole structure 18 rather than to quarter foxing at the medial side. Securing the fixed end further forward causes the strap 816 to angle rearward more from the medial side 30 to the lateral side 28 than strap 516 when a securing end 746 (having the fastener 54 at the inner side of the strap 816, not shown in FIG. 44) is secured to the second fastener 536.

FIG. 45 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 910 configured for a left foot and having the components of the article of footwear 510, except that the sole structure 18 is replaced with sole structure 918. The sole structure 918 includes a forward sole portion 918A comprised of a first foam and a rear sole portion 918B comprised of a second foam different than the first foam. For example, the first foam and the second foam may have different material characteristics, such as different stiffnesses, different densities, or other different characteristics. For example, the rear sole portion 918B may be less stiff than the forward sole portion 918A to provide greater resiliency for heel impacts.

FIG. 46 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 1010 alike in all aspects to the article of footwear 910, except with respect to the strap 516 and webbing 120 as discussed. The strap 516 included in the upper 1012 does not have the connecting layer 63, and the outer side 50 of the strap 516 is instead connected directly to the layer 61. The article of footwear 1010 may be configured for smaller sizes than footwear 910, such that the strap 516 may be of a lesser length. For example, the footwear 910 may be in a size typical of preschool children, while the article of footwear 1010 may be in a size typical for a toddler.

Additionally, the webbing 120 on the tongue 514 of the article of footwear 1010 extends forward onto the base layer 532, forward of the tongue 514, at a portion 120D of the webbing 120, with a portion 120E bridging over and above the area of the forward end 80 and the skin 94 so as not to inhibit pivoting of the tongue 514.

FIG. 47 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of a sole structure 1118 for any of the articles of footwear of FIGS. 1-46, showing a foot-facing surface 1121. FIG. 48 is a bottom view of the sole structure 1118 of FIG. 47, showing a ground-engaging surface 1123 having lateral grooves 1125, 1126 of different widths and depths (only some of which are indicated with reference numbers), and longitudinal grooves 1127 of different lengths. FIG. 49 is a front view of the sole structure 1118 showing a forward end 1130, and FIG. 50 is a rear view of the sole structure 1118 showing a rear end 1132.

FIG. 51 is a cross-sectional view of the sole structure 1118 of FIG. 47 taken at lines 51-51 in FIG. 47, illustrating the different depths of the lateral grooves 1125, 1126. FIG. 52 is a view of the lateral side 28 of the sole structure 1118 showing the grooves 1125, 1126 wrapping partially up a lateral side wall 1140. FIG. 53 is view of the medial side 30 of the sole structure 1118 showing the grooves 1125, 1126, wrapping partially up a medial side wall 1142.

FIG. 54 is a bottom view of another alternative sole structure 1218 for any of the articles of footwear of FIG. 1-46. The sole structure 1218 has lateral grooves 1225 and a longitudinal groove 1227. The sole structure 1218 has a main body portion 1218A that extends in each of the forefoot region 22, the midfoot region 24, and the heel region 26. The main body portion 1218A may serve as both a midsole and an outsole. Various outsole portions with different tread elements are secured to the main body portion 1218A. For example, a forefoot outsole portion 1218B with square tread elements is in the forefoot region 22. A ball outsole portion 1218C is generally circular and is disposed at an area of the forefoot region 22 that generally is disposed under the ball of the foot of a wearer. The ball outsole portion 1218C has arced tread elements that together establish a circular tread pattern. A first heel outsole portion 1218D has tread elements of a variety of shapes (circles, zig zags, lines, etc.) in an irregular pattern. A second heel outsole portion 1218E has tread elements in a zig-zag tread pattern. The various outsole portions 1218B, 1218C, 1218D, and 1218D with their different tread elements serve both the functional purpose of providing desired traction levels at the different regions of the sole structure 1218 and may also provide aesthetic variety. The outsole portions 1218B, 1218C, 1218D, and 1218E may comprise a material configured for durability and traction, such as rubber.

FIG. 55 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 1310 having many of the same components of the article of footwear 10, referred to with like reference numbers. FIG. 56 is a medial side view of the article of footwear 1310. The article of footwear 1310 includes the sole structure 1218 of FIG. 54. The article of footwear 1310 also includes an upper 1312 with a base layer 32. The tongue 14 is secured to the base layer 32 at the forward end 80 of the tongue 14, and is pivotable at the forward end 80 between access and use positions. Additionally, the upper 1312 includes the first anchoring strap 16A and the second anchoring strap 16B configured as described with respect to the article of footwear 10.

Referring to FIGS. 55 and 56, the footwear upper 1312 includes heel foxing 1336. The heel foxing 1336 is secured to the base layer 32 and defines a rear of the footwear upper 1312. The heel foxing 1336 is similar to the heel foxing 36 of the article of footwear 10 in that the heel foxing 1336 includes a plurality of loops 70 that serve as the second fastener to which the plurality of hooks 56 of the fastener 54 on the securing end 48 of the anchoring strap 16B secure, and also includes a plurality of loops 70 that serve as the second fastener to which the plurality of hooks of the fastener 54 on the securing end 46 of the anchoring strap 16A secure. However, the plurality of loops 70 are limited to just a portion of the lateral side 28 of the heel foxing 1336 (indicated as plurality of loops 70A in FIG. 55) and to just a portion of the medial side 30 of the heel foxing 1336 (indicated as plurality of loops 70B in FIG. 56) instead of covering the entire exterior of the heel foxing 1336 as the loops 70 cover the entire exterior of the heel foxing 36.

As shown in FIG. 55, the portion of the heel foxing 1336 that has the plurality of loops 70A serving as the second fastener for the anchoring strap 16A is configured so that the loops 70 form a lower edge 1336A and an upper edge 1336B, with the edges 1336A, 1336B being linear. The lower edge 1336A is hidden by the anchoring strap 16A in FIG. 55 but follows the lower edge 74 of the anchoring strap 16A and is indicated with hidden lines. The lower edge 1336A is configured like lower edge 36B in FIG. 7. The edges 1336A and 1336B angle upward and forward so that an upper edge 75 of the anchoring strap 16A is aligned with the upper edge 1336B, and the lower edge 74 of the anchoring strap 16A is aligned with the lower edge 1336A when the anchoring strap 16A is in the secured position. The upward and forward angles of the edges 1336A, 1336B are thus selected so that the edges 74, 75 of the strap 16A can be aligned with the edges 1336A, 1336B when securing the anchoring strap 16A, and the alignment places the strap 16A in a snug and untwisted position against the lateral side 28 of the base layer 32.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 56, the portion of the heel foxing 1336 that has the plurality of loops 70B serving as the second fastener for the anchoring strap 16B is configured so that the loops 70 form a lower edge 1336C and an upper edge 1336D, with the edges 1336C, 1336D being linear. The lower edge 1336C is hidden by the anchoring strap 16B in FIG. 56 but follows the lower edge 72 of the anchoring strap 16B and is indicated with hidden lines. The lower edge 1336C is configured like lower edge 36A in FIG. 6. The edges 1336C and 1336D angle upward and forward so that an upper edge 73 of the anchoring strap 16B is aligned with the upper edge 1336D, and the lower edge 72 of the anchoring strap 16B is aligned with the lower edge 1336C when the anchoring strap 16B is in the secured position. The upward and forward angles of the edges 1336C, 1336D are thus selected so that the edges 72, 73 of the strap 16B can be aligned with the edges 1336C, 1336D when securing the anchoring strap 16B, and the alignment places the strap 16B in a snug and untwisted position against the medial side 30 of the base layer 32.

FIG. 57 is a lateral side view of an alternative embodiment of an article of footwear 1410 having many of the same components of the article of footwear 10, referred to with like reference numbers. The article of footwear 1410 includes the sole structure 1218 of FIG. 54. The article of footwear 1410 also includes an upper 1412 with a base layer 32, the tongue 14 secured to the base layer 32 at the forward end 80 of the tongue 14, and pivotable at the forward end 80 between access and use positions.

The upper 1412 includes a single anchoring strap 1416B, and an auxiliary strap 1417. The tongue 14 is shown in the use position, and the anchoring strap 1416B is shown in a secured position extending over the tongue 14 from the fixed end 44 (also referred to as the anchored end) of the anchoring strap 1416B at the lateral side 28 to the securing end 48 of the anchoring strap 1416B, which is secured at the medial side 30 as shown in FIG. 58. The fastener 54 (shown in detail in FIG. 15) is fixed at an inner side of the securing end 48 of the strap 1416B, as described with respect to strap 16A herein.

The auxiliary strap 1417 has a first fixed end 1444 and a second fixed end 1445. The first fixed end 1444 is spaced apart from the fixed end 44 of the anchoring strap 1416B on the same side of the upper 1412 as the fixed end 44. In the embodiment shown, the fixed ends 44, 1444 are on the lateral side 28, and the anchoring strap 1416B crosses over the tongue 14 and secures at the medial side 30 of the upper 1412, as shown in FIG. 58. In an alternative embodiment, the fixed ends 44, 1444 could instead be on the medial side 30, and the anchoring strap 1416B could cross over the tongue 14 and secure at the lateral side 28.

The second fixed end 1445 of the auxiliary strap 1417 is secured to an inner side of the anchoring strap 1416B between the securing end 48 of the anchoring strap 16B and the fixed end 44 of the anchoring strap 1416B. The auxiliary strap 1417 extends under the anchoring strap 1416B, as is evident in FIGS. 57, 58, and the second fixed end 1445 is hidden under the anchoring strap 1416B when the anchoring strap 1416B is in the secured position. Accordingly, the second fixed end 1445 is indicated with hidden lines in FIG. 58. A portion of the auxiliary strap 1417 is shown in FIG. 58.

FIG. 58 shows that the anchoring strap 1416B includes a first section 1419, a second section 1421, and a gore 1423 that connects the first section 1419 and the second section 1421. The first section 1419 includes the fixed end 44. The second section 1421 includes the securing end 48. The first section 1419 and the second section 1421 may be configured as described with respect to straps 16A, 16AA, and 16B, with the gore 1423 added where indicated. The gore 1423 may be referred to as an elastic gore and is stitched at its opposing ends to the first section 1419 and to the second section 1421. A skin 1425A overlays the stitching securing the gore 1423 to the first section 1419, which may be the same stitching that stitches the end 1445 of the auxiliary strap 1417 to the first section 1419. Similarly, a skin 1425B overlays the stitching securing the gore 1423 to the second section 1421/

FIG. 57 indicates that the auxiliary strap extends across the lateral edge 86 of the tongue 14 when the anchoring strap 1416B is in the secured position. In the embodiment shown, the fixed end 1445 is disposed over the exterior of the tongue 14, but does not extend over the medial edge 84 of the tongue 14 when the anchoring strap 1416B is in the secured position. However, the auxiliary strap 1417 could be made longer in another embodiment so that the fixed end 1445 is closer to the securing end 48 of the anchoring strap 1416B, in which case the auxiliary strap 1417 would also cross over the medial edge 84 of the tongue 14.

When donning their footwear, young children may sit cross-legged, or may tend to crouch down and splay their feet outward. Additionally, it is easier for young children to pull toward the midline of their body than away from their body. In light of this, the anchoring strap 1416B and the auxiliary strap 1417 are configured so that the fixed ends 44, 1444 are on the lateral side 28 and the securing end 48 is on the medial side 30 in the secured position of the anchoring strap 1416B, which may make it easier for young children to secure and release the anchoring strap 1416B than if the securing end 48 were secured at the lateral side 28.

Referring to FIG. 58, the footwear upper 1412 includes heel foxing 1436. The heel foxing 1436 is secured to the base layer 32 and defines a rear of the footwear upper 1412. The heel foxing 1436 is similar to the heel foxing 36 of the article of footwear 10 in that the heel foxing 1436 includes a plurality of loops 70 that serve as the second fastener to which the plurality of hooks 56 of the fastener 54 on the securing end 48 of the anchoring strap 1416B secure. However, the plurality of loops 70 are limited to just a portion of the medial side 30 of the heel foxing 1436 instead of covering the entire heel foxing 1436 as the loops 70 cover the entire heel foxing 36.

As shown in FIG. 58, the portion of the heel foxing 1436 that has the plurality of loops 70 serving as the second fastener is configured so that the loops 70 form a lower edge 1436A and an upper edge 1436B, with the edges 1436A, 1436B being linear. The lower edge 1436A is hidden by the anchoring strap 1416B in FIG. 58 but follows the lower edge 72 of the anchoring strap 1416B and is indicated with hidden lines. The lower edge 1436A is like lower edge 1336C and lower edge 36A described herein. The edges 1436A and 1436B angle upward and forward so that an upper edge 73 of the anchoring strap 1416B is aligned with the upper edge 1436B, and the lower edge 72 of the anchoring strap 1416B is aligned with the lower edge 1436A when the anchoring strap 1416B is in the secured position. The upward and forward angles of the edges 1436A, 1436B are thus selected so that the edges 72, 73 of the strap 16B can be aligned with the edges 1436A, 1436B when securing the anchoring strap 1416B, and the alignment places the strap 1416B in a snug and untwisted position against the medial side 30 of the base layer 32.

The following Clauses provide example configurations of articles of footwear disclosed herein.

Clause 1. An article of footwear comprising: a footwear upper including: a base layer defining a throat opening; a tongue having a forward end fixed to the base layer forward of the throat opening; a strap having an anchored end fixed at the base layer and a securing end selectively securable at the base layer; wherein the tongue is pivotable about the forward end between an access position and a use position, extends over and covers the throat opening in the use position, and rests against an exterior of the base layer at a medial side of the base layer and at a lateral side of the base layer in the use position; and wherein the strap crosses over an exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.

Clause 2. The article of footwear of clause 1, wherein the tongue is fixed to the base layer only at the forward end of the tongue and forward of a forwardmost-edge of the throat opening.

Clause 3. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-2, wherein the strap has an anchored end fixed at one of the medial side and the lateral side of the base layer; and wherein the footwear upper further includes: a first fastener fixed at the securing end of the strap; and a second fastener fixed at the other one of the medial side and the lateral side of the base layer; wherein the first fastener is constructed to releasably secure to the second fastener.

Clause 4. The article of footwear of clause 3, wherein: the first fastener comprises one of a plurality of hooks and a plurality of loops; the second fastener comprises the other of the plurality of hooks and the plurality of loops; and the plurality of hooks are configured to releasably secure to the plurality of loops.

Clause 5. The article of footwear of clause 4, wherein the second fastener has a fixed end fixed at the base layer and a free end opposite from the fixed end and not fixed at the base layer.

Clause 6. The article of footwear of clause 5, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a quarter overlay fixed to the base layer; and wherein the second fastener is fixed to the quarter overlay.

Clause 7. The article of footwear of clause 4, wherein the second fastener is disposed at a heel region of the footwear upper.

Clause 8. The article of footwear of clause 7, wherein an upper edge of the strap is aligned with an upper edge of the second fastener and a lower edge of the strap is aligned with a lower edge of the second fastener when the strap is secured.

Clause 9. The article of footwear of clause 7, the footwear upper further comprising: heel foxing secured to the base layer and defining a rear of the footwear upper; wherein the second fastener is disposed on a portion of the heel foxing.

Clause 10. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the strap is a first strap, the anchored end of the first strap is fixed at the medial side of the base layer, and the first strap crosses over a medial edge and a lateral edge of the tongue at the exterior of the tongue with the securing end of the first strap secured at the lateral side of the base layer with the tongue in the use position; wherein the footwear upper further includes: a second strap having an anchored end fixed at the lateral side of the base layer and having a securing end selectively securable at the medial side of the base layer; wherein the second strap crosses over the medial edge and the lateral edge of the tongue at the exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.

Clause 11. The article of footwear of clause 10, wherein one of the first strap and the second strap crosses over the other one of the first strap and the second strap such that the other one of the first strap and the second strap is between the one of the first strap and the second strap and the exterior of the tongue.

Clause 12. The article of footwear of clause 10, the footwear upper further comprising: heel foxing secured to the base layer and defining a rear of the footwear upper; a first strap fastener portion secured to the securable end of the first strap; a second strap fastener portion secured to the securable end of the second strap; wherein the heel foxing is configured as one of a plurality of hooks or a plurality of loops; and wherein the first strap fastener portion and the second strap fastener portion are the other one of the plurality of hooks or the plurality of loops so that the first strap fastener portion and the second strap fastener portion are selectively securable to and releasable from the heel foxing.

Clause 13. The article of footwear of clause 12, wherein: the heel foxing has a lateral edge at the lateral side of the base layer; and a lower edge of the first strap is aligned with the lateral edge of the heel foxing when the first strap is secured to the heel foxing.

Clause 14. The article of footwear of clause 12, wherein: the heel foxing has a medial edge at the medial side of the base layer; and a lower edge of the second strap is aligned with the medial edge of the heel foxing when the second strap is secured to the heel foxing.

Clause 15. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, the footwear upper further comprising: an auxiliary strap having a first fixed end spaced apart from the anchored end of the strap and a second fixed end secured to the strap.

Clause 16. The article of footwear of clause 15, wherein the second fixed end is secured to an inner side of the strap between the securing end of the strap and the anchored end of the strap.

Clause 17. The article of footwear of clause 15, wherein the auxiliary strap extends across at least one of a medial edge of the tongue and a lateral edge of the tongue when the strap is in secured.

Clause 18. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the tongue includes: an outer layer that includes the forward end of the tongue; and foam disposed at an inner side of the outer layer and positioned over the throat opening when the tongue is in the use position.

Clause 19. The article of footwear of clause 18, wherein a forwardmost-edge of the foam is rearward of the forward end of the tongue.

Clause 20. The article of footwear of clause 18, wherein the foam is divided into a medial foam component at a medial side of the tongue and a lateral foam component at a lateral side of the tongue, the medial foam component and the lateral foam component separated from one another by a gap extending along a length of the inner side of the outer layer of the tongue.

Clause 21. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the tongue includes: an outer layer that includes the forward end of the tongue; a tongue edge binding secured along a medial edge of the tongue, along a lateral edge of the tongue, and along a rear edge of the tongue; the tongue edge binding have a medial terminal end rearward of the forward end of the tongue and a lateral terminal end rearward of the forward end of the tongue such that the medial edge of the tongue has an unbinded portion exposed between the medial terminal end of the tongue edge binding and the forward end of the tongue, and the lateral edge of the tongue has an unbinded portion exposed between the lateral terminal end of the tongue edge binding and the forward end of the tongue.

Clause 22. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the tongue includes: an outer layer; an inner layer that extends further forward than the outer layer and includes the forward end of the tongue; and a strip of reinforcing skin disposed along and over an outer perimeter of the outer layer and onto an outer side of the inner layer.

Clause 23. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a first series of stitches extending through and stitching the forward end of the tongue to the base layer forward of the throat opening.

Clause 24. The article of footwear of clause 23, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a cover skin disposed over the first series of stitches.

Clause 25. The article of footwear of clause 24, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a second series of stitches extending through and stitching the cover skin and the forward end of the tongue to the base layer forward of the throat opening, the second series of stitches disposed over and reinforcing the first series of stitches.

Clause 26. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: edge binding secured to the base layer along a perimeter of the throat opening at a medial edge of the throat opening and at a lateral edge of the throat opening, and the edge binding terminating rearward of a forward end of the throat opening such that the forward end of the throat opening is free from any edge binding.

Clause 27. The article of footwear of clause 26, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a collar that defines an ankle opening extending rearward from the throat opening; and the edge binding further extends along and is secured to the collar at a perimeter of the ankle opening.

Clause 28. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a reinforcing skin secured to the base layer along a perimeter of the throat opening at a medial side of the throat opening and at a lateral side of the throat opening, and the reinforcing skin terminates rearward of a forward end of the throat opening such that the forward end of the throat opening is free from any reinforcing skin.

Clause 29. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a collar that defines an ankle opening extending rearward from the throat opening; and foam extending along an inner side of an outer layer of the collar.

Clause 30. The article of footwear of clause 29, wherein the footwear upper further includes an inner layer disposed at an inner side of the foam.

Clause 31. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a collar that defines an ankle opening extending rearward from the throat opening; and a heel pull secured to the collar rearward of the ankle opening.

Clause 32. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a heel band fixed at the medial side of the base layer and at the lateral side of the base layer and extending along the exterior of a rear of the base layer from the medial side of the base layer to the lateral side of the base layer.

Clause 33. The article of footwear of clause 32, wherein the footwear upper further includes: webbing extending along the exterior of the rear of the footwear upper, and wherein the heel band extends under the webbing.

Clause 34. The article of footwear of clause 32, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a medial quarter overlay disposed at the exterior of the base layer at the medial side of the base layer; and a lateral quarter overlay disposed at the exterior of the base layer at the lateral side of the base layer; wherein the heel band is fixed to the medial quarter overlay and fixed to the lateral quarter overlay.

Clause 35. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: webbing secured along a central portion of the tongue between the forward end of the tongue and a rear end of the tongue.

Clause 36. The article of footwear of clause 35, wherein: the tongue includes a medial side portion and a lateral side portion joined to the medial side portion at a seam; and the webbing is disposed over and along the seam.

Clause 37. The article of footwear of clause 35, wherein the webbing forms a tongue pull extending in a loop from an anchor location disposed between the rear end of the tongue and the forward end of the tongue along the central portion.

Clause 38. The article of footwear of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a tongue pull extending in a loop from an anchor location disposed at the exterior of the tongue between a rear end of the tongue and the forward end of the tongue.

To assist and clarify the description of various embodiments, various terms are defined herein. Unless otherwise indicated, the following definitions apply throughout this specification (including the claims). Additionally, all references referred to are incorporated herein in their entirety.

An “article of footwear”, a “footwear article of manufacture”, and “footwear” may be considered to be both a machine and a manufacture. Assembled, ready to wear footwear articles (e.g., shoes, sandals, boots, etc.), as well as discrete components of footwear articles (such as a midsole, an outsole, an upper component, etc.) prior to final assembly into ready to wear footwear articles, are considered and alternatively referred to herein in either the singular or plural as “article(s) of footwear”.

“A”, “an”, “the”, “at least one”, and “one or more” are used interchangeably to indicate that at least one of the items is present. A plurality of such items may be present unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. All numerical values of parameters (e.g., of quantities or conditions) in this specification, unless otherwise indicated expressly or clearly in view of the context, including the appended claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” whether or not “about” actually appears before the numerical value. “About” indicates that the stated numerical value allows some slight imprecision (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If the imprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring and using such parameters. In addition, a disclosure of a range is to be understood as specifically disclosing all values and further divided ranges within the range.

The terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, or components. Orders of steps, processes, and operations may be altered when possible, and additional or alternative steps may be employed. As used in this specification, the term “or” includes any one and all combinations of the associated listed items. The term “any of” is understood to include any possible combination of referenced items, including “any one of” the referenced items. The term “any of” is understood to include any possible combination of referenced claims of the appended claims, including “any one of” the referenced claims.

For consistency and convenience, directional adjectives may be employed throughout this detailed description corresponding to the illustrated embodiments. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “above”, “below”, “upward”, “downward”, “top”, “bottom”, etc., may be used descriptively relative to the figures, without representing limitations on the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims.

The term “longitudinal” particularly refers to a direction extending a length of a component. For example, a longitudinal direction of a shoe extends between a forefoot region and a heel region of the shoe. The term “forward” or “anterior” is used to particularly refer to the general direction from a heel region toward a forefoot region, and the term “rearward” or “posterior” is used to particularly refer to the opposite direction, i.e., the direction from the forefoot region toward the heel region. In some cases, a component may be identified with a longitudinal axis as well as a forward and rearward longitudinal direction along that axis. The longitudinal direction or axis may also be referred to as an anterior-posterior direction or axis.

The term “transverse” particularly refers to a direction extending a width of a component. For example, a transverse direction of a shoe extends between a lateral side and a medial side of the shoe. The transverse direction or axis may also be referred to as a lateral direction or axis or a mediolateral direction or axis.

The term “vertical” particularly refers to a direction generally perpendicular to both the lateral and longitudinal directions. For example, in cases where a sole is planted flat on a ground surface, the vertical direction may extend from the ground surface upward. It will be understood that each of these directional adjectives may be applied to individual components of a sole. The term “upward” or “upwards” particularly refers to the vertical direction pointing towards a top of the component, which may include an instep, a fastening region and/or a throat of an upper. The term “downward” or “downwards” particularly refers to the vertical direction pointing opposite the upwards direction, toward the bottom of a component and may generally point towards the bottom of a sole structure of an article of footwear.

The “interior” of an article of footwear, such as a shoe, particularly refers to portions at the space that is occupied by a wearer's foot when the shoe is worn. The “inner side” of a component particularly refers to the side or surface of the component that is (or will be) oriented toward the interior of the component or article of footwear in an assembled article of footwear. The “outer side” or “exterior” of a component particularly refers to the side or surface of the component that is (or will be) oriented away from the interior of the shoe in an assembled shoe. In some cases, other components may be between the inner side of a component and the interior in the assembled article of footwear. Similarly, other components may be between an outer side of a component and the space external to the assembled article of footwear. Further, the terms “inward” and “inwardly” particularly refer to the direction toward the interior of the component or article of footwear, such as a shoe, and the terms “outward” and “outwardly” particularly refer to the direction toward the exterior of the component or article of footwear, such as the shoe. In addition, the term “proximal” particularly refers to a direction that is nearer a center of a footwear component, or is closer toward a foot when the foot is inserted in the article of footwear as it is worn by a user. Likewise, the term “distal” particularly refers to a relative position that is further away from a center of the footwear component or is further from a foot when the foot is inserted in the article of footwear as it is worn by a user. Thus, the terms proximal and distal may be understood to provide generally opposing terms to describe relative spatial positions.

While various embodiments have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the embodiments. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combination with or substituted for any other feature or element in any other embodiment unless specifically restricted. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims.

While several modes for carrying out the many aspects of the present teachings have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which these teachings relate will recognize various alternative aspects for practicing the present teachings that are within the scope of the appended claims. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and exemplary of the entire range of alternative embodiments that an ordinarily skilled artisan would recognize as implied by, structurally and/or functionally equivalent to, or otherwise rendered obvious based upon the included content, and not as limited solely to those explicitly depicted and/or described embodiments. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of footwear comprising: a footwear upper including: a base layer defining a throat opening; a tongue having a forward end fixed to the base layer forward of the throat opening; a strap having an anchored end fixed at the base layer and a securing end selectively securable at the base layer; wherein the tongue is pivotable about the forward end between an access position and a use position, extends over and covers the throat opening in the use position, and rests against an exterior of the base layer at a medial side of the base layer and at a lateral side of the base layer in the use position; and wherein the strap crosses over an exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.
 2. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the tongue is fixed to the base layer only at the forward end of the tongue and forward of a forwardmost-edge of the throat opening.
 3. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the strap has an anchored end fixed at one of the medial side and the lateral side of the base layer; and wherein the footwear upper further includes: a first fastener fixed at the securing end of the strap; and a second fastener fixed at the other one of the medial side and the lateral side of the base layer; wherein the first fastener is constructed to releasably secure to the second fastener.
 4. The article of footwear of claim 3, wherein: the first fastener comprises one of a plurality of hooks and a plurality of loops; the second fastener comprises the other of the plurality of hooks and the plurality of loops; and the plurality of hooks are configured to releasably secure to the plurality of loops.
 5. The article of footwear of claim 4, wherein the second fastener has a fixed end fixed at the base layer and a free end opposite from the fixed end and not fixed at the base layer.
 6. The article of footwear of claim 5, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a quarter overlay fixed to the base layer; and wherein the second fastener is fixed to the quarter overlay.
 7. The article of footwear of claim 4, wherein the second fastener is disposed at a heel region of the footwear upper.
 8. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein an upper edge of the strap is aligned with an upper edge of the second fastener and a lower edge of the strap is aligned with a lower edge of the second fastener when the strap is secured.
 9. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the strap is a first strap, the anchored end of the first strap is fixed at the medial side of the base layer, and the first strap crosses over a medial edge and a lateral edge of the tongue at the exterior of the tongue with the securing end of the first strap secured at the lateral side of the base layer with the tongue in the use position; wherein the footwear upper further includes: a second strap having an anchored end fixed at the lateral side of the base layer and having a securing end selectively securable at the medial side of the base layer; wherein the second strap crosses over the medial edge and the lateral edge of the tongue at the exterior of the tongue with the securing end secured at the base layer and the tongue in the use position.
 10. The article of footwear of claim 9, wherein one of the first strap and the second strap crosses over the other one of the first strap and the second strap such that the other one of the first strap and the second strap is between the one of the first strap and the second strap and the exterior of the tongue.
 11. The article of footwear of claim 9, the footwear upper further comprising: heel foxing secured to the base layer and defining a rear of the footwear upper; a first strap fastener portion secured to the securable end of the first strap; a second strap fastener portion secured to the securable end of the second strap; wherein the heel foxing is configured as one of a plurality of hooks or a plurality of loops; and wherein the first strap fastener portion and the second strap fastener portion are the other one of the plurality of hooks or the plurality of loops so that the first strap fastener portion and the second strap fastener portion are selectively securable to and releasable from the heel foxing.
 12. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein: the heel foxing has a lateral edge at the lateral side of the base layer; and a lower edge of the first strap is aligned with the lateral edge of the heel foxing when the first strap is secured to the heel foxing.
 13. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein: the heel foxing has a medial edge at the medial side of the base layer; and a lower edge of the second strap is aligned with the medial edge of the heel foxing when the second strap is secured to the heel foxing.
 14. The article of footwear of claim 1, the footwear upper further comprising: an auxiliary strap having a first fixed end spaced apart from the anchored end of the strap and a second fixed end secured to the strap.
 15. The article of footwear of claim 14, wherein the second fixed end is secured to an inner side of the strap between the securing end of the strap and the anchored end of the strap.
 16. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the tongue includes: an outer layer that includes the forward end of the tongue; and foam disposed at an inner side of the outer layer and positioned over the throat opening when the tongue is in the use position; wherein a forwardmost-edge of the foam is rearward of the forward end of the tongue.
 17. The article of footwear of claim 16, wherein the foam is divided into a medial foam component at a medial side of the tongue and a lateral foam component at a lateral side of the tongue, the medial foam component and the lateral foam component separated from one another by a gap extending along a length of the inner side of the outer layer of the tongue.
 18. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a first series of stitches extending through and stitching the forward end of the tongue to the base layer forward of the throat opening.
 19. The article of footwear of claim 18, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a cover skin disposed over the first series of stitches; and a second series of stitches extending through and stitching the cover skin and the forward end of the tongue to the base layer forward of the throat opening, the second series of stitches disposed over and reinforcing the first series of stitches.
 20. The article of footwear of claim 1, wherein the footwear upper further includes: a tongue pull extending in a loop from an anchor location disposed at the exterior of the tongue between a rear end of the tongue and the forward end of the tongue. 